Double Joy and Half a Sorrow
by MichaelSaniyan
Summary: Suffering though a very unusual day, Homura gets cheered up. Or goes insane. When you think about it, the second scenario actually makes a lot more sense. - Random new universe fic, HomuraxKyouko, oneshot.


**AN: There might be some canonical errors here and there. To be honest, I never really cared for the new universe. The only good thing that came of it was that Mami came back to life, or never died, rather. And God knows I love Mami Tomoe, and that I will never get over the amount of pictures and such depicting her death.**

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><p>Homura Akemi woke up at seven o'clock sharp, the Saturday morning's sprawling light wheedling its way past the small gap between the curtains. She lingered in bed for a minute, chasing a fleeting dream that had begun fading the moment she opened her eyes. Birds of one kind or another chirped outside, making her awakening quite the pleasant experience. Of course, one could argue that the measly three hours of sleep the girl had gotten cancelled out said pleasantry.<p>

But sleep-deprived or not, she got out of bed at seven. Always. Homura didn't attempt to do anything about this, as she knew that her habitual nature would hardly be swayed by her fragile consciousness. She also doubted that a few more hours of rest would help the apathy that stuck with her like an unwanted shadow.

After making her way to the bathroom, Homura took a quick and cold shower, which rinsed out the last fragments of the soft and cozy dream and crystalized her thoughts into their usual, sharpened form. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair, both routines carried out meticulously, and adorned the latter with a red ribbon. Homura examined herself in the bathroom mirror, almost as if she cared about her appearance, and found a rather solemn character staring back at her. People found her beautiful, she had heard. Giving her raven hair a nonchalant flick, she wondered if it was her actual looks or her quote-on-quote cool demeanor.

Feeling physically well at the very least, Homura walked into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, noting the lack of provisions with a frown, and settled for taking only a carton of milk. It wasn't often she felt the need to eat food of any kind, partly the fault of the aforementioned apathy. Before sitting down, Homura grabbed yesterday's newspaper from the table, rolled it up, and then swatted Kyouko over the head with it.

"Hey!"

"Get out of my house." The raven-haired girl said bluntly before opening and taking a swig from the milk carton. Sloppy, yes, but there was no need to act all high and mighty when the only person watching you was a girl who thought that drumsticks went well with steak.

"Tch, you're no fun." Kyouko Sakura muttered, devouring the last bite of her pancakes, the only acceptable source of nutrition she had found in Homura's pitiful excuse for a refrigerator. At least it fit the time of day. "You could at least act surprised, if only to be polite."

"Excuse my rudeness, homeless girl who broke into my apartment. Now, get out." Kyouko shook her head and reached for the milk, repeating Homura's action before slamming the empty carton down with a satisfied sigh. The raven-haired girl sighed too, for an entirely different reason. She was now on the same level as the redhead. Wonderful.

"Is that all you're gonna have for breakfast?" Kyouko wondered, curiously scanning Homura's side of the table.

"I'm not hungry." came the reply, making her guest tut disapprovingly.

"Homura, Homura...breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know."

"It must be, seeing as you just wolfed down the only edible thing I had."

Grinning widely, Kyouko delved into the pockets of her sweatshirt, retrieved a sweet roll and a bag of chips and threw them onto the table. She looked as proud as a cat who had just brought home an extraordinarily large mouse, and Homura reacted with the disgust of any squeamish owner.

"Dig in."

"If you had all that on you, why did you eat my pancakes?"

"Because they were more of a breakfast snack, wouldn't you agree?" Homura did agree, which was more or less the reason that the leftover pancakes had been there in the first place.

"So what am I supposed to eat?"

"I thought you said you weren't hungry."

"...get out."

"Don't you even want to know why I'm here?"

"Do you think it will change my mind?" Homura crossed her arms, answering her own question. Kyouko's tough street girl attitude had devolved to something decidedly softer, even if her mischievous personality had remained the same. This gladdened Homura, even if it was only a drop of hope in a sea of meaninglessness.

"I want to stay the night."

"Don't you have a job to do?"

"Sheesh, Homura." Kyouko's palm slammed down on the table, making her plate rattle. Homura figured Kyouko's patience was as poor as always, even when she did her best to be provocative. Bad choice of opponent, really. "It's just a figure of speech. I want to stay here for a day or two, and-"

"Let me guess." Homura got up, taking the redhead's empty plate and putting it into the dishwasher. "Mami threw you out."

"She is the reason I'm here, and while it's a legitimate guess, you're not even close." Homura didn't like the notion of Mami being involved at all. Her opinion of the blonde was split across too many timelines, and she didn't know how to act around her anymore. The same went for Kyouko, but to a much lesser degree. Maybe that was why she stuck with the cold facade.

"There are plenty of hotels. There is no reason for you to be here."

"I wasn't finished. Mami is worried about you. The only time we see you is on the occasional hunt, and you treat us like we're not even there. You can't blame her, honestly. You have the atmosphere of a walking funeral."

"Worried?" That was Mami alright. Too caring, too considerate, too nosy. "Just because we sometimes work together doesn't mean we're some kind of team. For that matter, I'm doing just fine. Also_, _I highly doubt Mami ordered you to break into my house."

"Ah, if only." Kyouko leaned back and flung her feet up on the table, grabbing the bag of chips and ripping it open. She grabbed a fistful of the snack and stuffed it into her mouth, somehow still managing to talk normally. "Nah, she just brings you up _constantly. _It's almost worrisome in itself. So just to shut her up, I figured I'd check up on you. Make sure you don't slit your wrists or something."

Homura gave Kyouko a look that almost made the poor girl choke, not because of fear but because the utterly hopeless look Homura wore amused the redhead to no end. She didn't understand how someone like herself could go on with a smile on her lips when this girl looked like she'd been through hell and back. Of course, that was also part of the reason why...

"Get it? Because you're a Puella Magi-"

"And slitting my wrists probably wouldn't kill me. Yes, clever. A suicide joke, very tasteful."

"At least I know how to make a joke. Deadpan doesn't count." Kyouko added when Homura raised an eyebrow. The raven-haired girl took a long, deep breath, and Kyouko could practically hear her friend mentally counting to ten. She was doing pretty well, having expected to be thrown out within the minute. Violently so.

"I'm going out to buy groceries. When I come back, you will be gone."

"Or else...?"

"Or else what?" Satisfied with the threat, Homura walked out of the kitchen. Kyouko remained at the table, listing to the clicks and clacks of shoes being put on. The redhead was very disappointed in her fellow Puella Magi's reaction. Perhaps she had sounded too sincere. Mami had in fact only mentioned Homura's depressive state once or twice.

Homura left, slightly worried about leaving Kyouko free to roam around in her apartment. Then again, she _had _broken into her home earlier that morning, so if she hadn't done anything then, what were the odds she'd do something now? Homura wondered if she was supposed to be more upset over having her privacy invaded, but found that she was merely annoyed about the whole thing. After Sayaka had died, Mami had offered to house Kyouko indefinitely. The two were an odd duo of experienced Puella Magi, and should've been perfectly content minding their own business. Why did they have to bother her?

Of course, Mami hadn't really done anything. It was Kyouko's endeavor, probably the restless girl's idea of a pastime. It was a pain, but Homura didn't have the most interesting life, and she almost welcomed the idea of struggling with the redhead. Almost. Homura wasn't aware of this, but Kyouko had come into her home only a few minutes before she woke up. So while waiting for Homura to come into the kitchen, she had helped herself to some breakfast. Now, it was time to explore.

Kyouko soon realized that Homura's apartment was much more interesting than she would've guessed. Considering the girl's personality, she had expected only the most spartan living quarters possible. Instead there were paintings and carpets, along with plenty of "superfluous" furniture. Homura's bedroom had, aside from the obligatory bed, a couch, a low table and a desk with a fancy-looking computer on it. But somehow, most items in the apartment seemed neglected, as if they were just things left behind by the previous tenant.

Kyouko also found a large, open room filled with colored pads arranged in a pattern that sort of but not really resembled a clock, the center being a circular table. A clock was ticking with a loud, defining beat, but the source of the sound was nowhere to be found. Several empty, rusted frames were lying forgotten in a corner, and the redhead felt a chill run up her spine. Kyouko couldn't say she believed in ghosts, but there was some kind of foreboding presence occupying the room, a malicious kind of atmosphere. _No wonder she's depressed if she hangs out in here all day, _Kyouko thought to herself.

The rest of the apartment was nothing special, so Kyouko went back to the poorly lit gold mine that was Homura's bedroom. A novel, pretty new from the look and feel of it, lay open on the table. Kyouko memorized the page number, then flipped through the rest of the book. The novel was called "Dog Days" and seemed to be about a happy-go-lucky character and her blue dog. It seemed like a way too optimistic book for Homura to be reading, but Kyouko noticed that the story started to darken towards the end, and the last page detailed some girl holding the dead main character in her arms while that blue dog and another red mutt – _let's see how many stupidly colored pets we can fit in this thing –_ howled pitifully at the cloudy sky above.

Satisfied to see that the novel fit Homura's mood, Kyouko put it back on the table. She moved on to the desk, which contents resonated with its neat and organized owner. Aside from the computer and a small lamp, it was completely empty. Kyouko switched on the device, and a blue keyboard was instantly projected in front of it. The screen wanted a password, not surprisingly. The redhead didn't even bother.

Homura was sure to come back any time now, and even if Kyouko had no intention of leaving, she didn't want to be found snooping around. Maybe she would get started on that sweet roll Homura had so rudely turned down. But just as the guest was about to leave the room, something caught her eye. She hadn't seen it at first, as dark as the room was, but there was something sticking out from underneath Homura's pillow. Curiosity piqued, Kyouko tugged on the small strip of fabric, and received a red ribbon.

It was immediately identified as the ribbon Homura always wore, the one that Kyouko honestly thought looked awfully childish. Or, well, it wasn't the same ribbon, since Homura had been wearing hers this morning. So there were two, and one had for some reason been lying under the raven-haired girl's pillow. As Kyouko held the innocent object in her hands, she had the frustrating feeling that she was supposed to be remembering something. Something with those two ribbons. Something, something, something. Kyouko gave herself a good smack on the head, which didn't help considerably.

On a whim, the redhead replaced the black ribbon she used to tie up her hair with Homura's. The action only made the frustration stronger, and it was like having an important answer on the very tip of your tongue. And there the answer stayed, as she heard a door open and close. She went to meet Homura, hoping to snatch an apple or two from the grocery bags. Did Homura eat apples? Kyouko had no idea.

"Took you long enough." The redhead jokingly scowled. She expected more threats, a disappointed, dull stare, hopefully a pinch of anger. But she received much more than that. When Homura spotted the intruder, she dropped the paper bag she was holding. It hit the floor with a loud crunch, but Kyouko didn't even care. A streak of steel sparked in Homura's violet eyes, her hands clenched into fists, and Kyouko realized that it was this reaction she had wanted from the very beginning.

"Give it to me." Homura said, and her voice almost gave Kyouko frostbites. The girl summoned forth the most infuriating grin she could manage, her fangs glistening along with Homura's eyes.

"Give you what?"

"That ribbon. Return it." Kyouko hands went to her hair, noting with favor how Homura actually seemed to be _trembling _with rage_._ It was just a boring little accessory, but there was obviously something that made it very important to the girl. Something, something, something.

"Oh, you noticed. I hope you don't mind me borrowing this. It kinda blends in with my hair, but now we both match!"

"Kyouko. One last chance. Either you give me that ribbon, or I will take it by force."

"I don't think you will. See, I don't know how proficient you are with hand-to-hand combat, but I hardly think the girl who uses ranged weaponry will beat me. Speaking of, I also doubt you'll succeed in sniping me with that bow of yours. But hey, feel free to try."

Homura didn't try. Those two ribbons, meaningless as they may seem, were reminders of a better world, a world without despair or grief. They reminded her of the reason why she fought, and why she could never give up. Would Kyouko have stopped tormenting her if she had known all this? Probably not.

"What do you want?"

"Just let me stay here for a day or so. We can hook up with Mami tonight, we'll have a nice little demon hunt together, and I'll be out of here by tomorrow. Happy endings all around." Kyouko suggested, just like a friend making plans for the evening.

"And?"

"And I'll return your beloved ribbon, don't worry. Though I would love to know why it's so important to you. It must be a gift from someone, right? Otherwise you wouldn't be sleeping with it." The lightest of red settled on Homura's cheeks, but the girl easily hid this by burying her head in her hands with an exasperated sigh.

"Fine, you can stay. Just...don't make a mess."

"Your groceries."

"What?"

"It's the five second rule, Homura, not five minutes." Kyouko pointed at the floor where assorted edible items lay scattered about like a nonsensical art project. It didn't look like anything had been broken, crushed or squashed, so there was that. Like an honorable victor, Kyouko squatted down and picked up the paper bag, holding it open for Homura. "Let's not waste food, okay?"

The raven-haired bent down, putting everything she picked up back in the bag. It was her fault for leaving Kyouko alone, she reasoned. With that kind of stupidity, the consequences were inevitable. Plus, it was only one day. The intruder could've asked for something far worse. In fact, she probably _should've _asked for something far worse.

"Kyouko. Why are you doing this?"

"You're missing..." The redhead mumbled, her grin faltering for a split second. Homura looked at the girl questioningly, who instantly relit her smile with a chuckle. "Out of boredom, mostly. For such a gloomy girl, you sure are amusing, Homura."

"Uh-huh. Glad to hear it."

The day passed. Homura went about her daily life, trying her best to ignore her temporary flatmate. To her surprise, Kyouko didn't do much to be in the way. Sure, the restless girl was all over the apartment, fiddling with anything and everything, but she didn't go out of her way to torment Homura. They didn't talk much, didn't pay attention to each other, and it was as if they were on two different planes of existence. When bored with exploring the building, Kyouko pulled out some sort of handheld gaming console and started hammering away at the buttons.

It was very weird, but Homura wasn't bothered, and so she didn't care to say anything about it. It wasn't until the sun began to set in the jagged skyline that the raven-haired girl stretched her arms, put down the finished novel and turned to her guest. Kyouko's fingers were bending over backwards and performing some complicated dance in order to get the figure on screen to move like she wanted. The redhead looked up, with no noticeable loss of accuracy in her fingers' movements.

"How was it?"

"The book? Terrible. It tried to be both comedic and serious and failed in both regards. I bought it because of its good reviews, but it turned out to...why do you even care again?"

"I don't."

"Where did you get the game from?"

"I always complained about how I had nothing to do while she was at school, so Mami bought it for me. It's pretty repetitive, very shallow, but it's something to do."

"I can't believe Mami actually wanted you to live with her. She must be regretting that decision." It might've sounded mean-spirited, but Homura was simply expressing actual skepticism. Then again, this Kyouko was almost tolerable sometimes, and the two seemed to get along well.

"I wish. Mami has the patience of an angel. She's almost as boring as you, except that she can actually smile and laugh and all that fun stuff. Speaking of..." Kyouko suddenly turned off the game and put it back in her pocket, taking out a pack of Pocky in its stead. She took a stick between her teeth, like a cigarette, and then got up. "Let's go."

"Where?"

"To the Taj Mahal. Outside, stupid. We've got things to do." Kyouko looked dead serious, which was the sole reason that Homura didn't just ignore her.

"It won't start for another few hours."

"I know, it's perfect. C'mon." With no further explanation, Kyouko walked out the door, her red mane of hair swinging behind her. The red mane that was tied up by Homura's red ribbon. With a deep sigh, the raven-haired girl got out of her couch. Upon exiting her room, an array of chocolate-covered biscuit sticks suddenly appeared an inch from her face.

"Take one." Kyouko offered with a wry smile. Homura had a stern no on the tip of her tongue, but recalled her inconvenient position. So instead of arguing, she settled for some murderous glaring while taking a Pocky in the same manner Kyouko had. "Told you we matched."

"Give it up." Homura said bluntly before demonstratively biting down on the treat, crunching it into tiny pieces. Kyouko shook her head in mock disappointment, but at least continued walking. The usual silence settled between them as they left the apartment and came out into chilly evening air, and it lasted a whole of 30 minutes, not counting the encouraging noise Kyouko made every time she wanted to feed Homura another Pocky.

-I-

"Why didn't you order anything?" Kyouko asked after the waitress had left, this time actual disappointment lining her words. The well-lit and brightly colored family restaurant was melting Homura's cold mood somewhat, and she at least looked relaxed. "I'm telling you, it's my treat."

"I'm not hungry. And since when do you have money? Wait, don't tell me...Mami?"

"Just a small weekly allowance."

"She's spoiling you, I swear."

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Kyouko laughed, patting her pocket just to hear the rustling of bills. She had stolen cash plenty of times, but money felt different when it was actually her own. _Wouldn't she have loved to hear that? _"And to be fair, I earn my pay. I help out with chores every now and then."

"Uh-huh. What chores?"

"Um...shopping, but that's besides the point." Homura sighed, thinking that there was no better way to spoil the voracious redhead than to give her money and send her to a food store. All in the name of sympathy, but there was a line, and Mami had crossed it.

"Just don't ruin the poor girl, okay?"

"How rare, hearing you be considerate. I thought you didn't even like Mami."

"I don't."

"That must mean you like me even less, I guess."

"No, that's not-" Too late, Homura saw the devious little trap. She looked at the redhead with the wolf-like grin, impressed rather than annoyed for once. The tiniest smile slipped past her defenses, and she suddenly felt a bit peckish. "There is no reason for me not to like Mami. She's a hardened veteran, but one that's helpful and friendly."

"Sounds about right. You can hardly say a bad thing about her, but you still really don't like her, something like that?" Homura nodded, Kyouko having hit the nail on the head. The redhead continued, head resting in her hands. "Now do me."

The comment made Homura smile once more, and she found herself wondering how Kyouko had gone from hair-pullingly frustrating to tolerable in five seconds flat. Maybe that too was sympathy, a small reward for Kyouko's efforts. Psychological analysis aside, it was nice to express an opinion to someone who cared to listen.

The waitress returned, loading up Kyouko's side of the table with enough burgers and fries to satisfy a family of three. The girl dug in, and Homura idly wondered how many teenagers would kill to have Kyouko's metabolism.

"Small allowance?"

"Small...ish." Kyouko hid her lack of a better answer behind ground beef, giving Homura plenty of time to ponder on an answer of her own. The redhead was around halfway through her mountain of calories when Homura spoke.

"You're annoying, rude and overconfident, but in an interesting way. For example, I have yet to figure out a good reason why you decided to break into my apartment."

"Are you still going on about that?" Kyouko mumbled through an impolite amount of food. She swallowed it all and downed one of three cans of soda, starting off her next sentence with a satisfied burp. "I came to cheer you up, remember?"

"Right. How did that work out?"

"I'd like to think I'm getting better."

"Marginally. What even makes you think that I'm not feeling well? You complain about my mood all the time, but maybe that's just how I am?" At this, Kyouko stopped eating, suddenly serious. Her crimson eyes were looking straight at Homura, practically through her. When Kyouko finally said something, it was in an uncharacteristically solemn tone.

"You're missing something. You try to be mysterious and all that, but you can't fool me. You're confused, because something is missing from your life. I know." Kyouko took another bite out of a burger, and pushed the tray with French fries over to Homura's side of the booth.

"That's-"

"C'mon, have some. It's the least you can do after I dragged out all the way out here." The grave tone was now nowhere to be found, and Homura remained speechless for a good second or two. Kyouko's guess had been a little too close for comfort, but it had been, after all, just a guess. The redhead took Homura's silence as a no, and just shrugged her shoulders with a mischievous glint in eye and fang alike. She took a French fry and ate it, then took another one and held it up in front of her friend.

"If you insist on doing it the hard way..."

"Kyouko, I'm not playing."

"You sure?" The redhead brought a grease-covered hand towards her hair, and Homura then realized that she was really bad at remembering who had the upper hand. And all for the sake of a stupid ribbon. Of course, it was who it belonged to that was the important thing, just like Kyouko had assumed earlier.

"I _will_ kill you after this is over."

"Yes, but at least you won't do it on an empty stomach." Homura's immunity to embarrassment, or rather, her lack of shame, wasn't what it used to be. This was evident by her slight and appropriate blush as she angrily bit the French fry in half. Kyouko threw the other half into her own mouth with a suggestive wink, and Homura almost choked on the tiny piece of food. She wanted to strangle the girl across from her, wanted to beat the smugness and the stupid grin right out of her, but why was she trying her best not to laugh?

Insanity, came the simple answer. Of course. Homura knew that she wasn't exactly mentally well, and even if it was kind of sad that Kyouko was the straw that had broken the camel's back, it made sense. Well then, if she had gone insane, would it really matter if she laughed? As the unfamiliar sound bubbled up Homura's throat and out into the open, it turned out that the answer was yes.

Kyouko started laughing as well, her source of amusement obvious. Homura's laughter was about as loud as the rest of her, but it was a persistent giggling that soon had the redhead gasping for air herself. It was such a stupid sound, so out of place, and the fact that Kyouko had been the cause of it made the whole thing ten times better.

"I guess...thanks for treating me." After the worst had passed, Homura sighed with equal parts exasperation and disbelief. She took a couple of French fries before Kyouko could do something even more radical, chewing thoughtfully. "I'm still gonna kill you though."

"Oh, no problem. I can die happy now."

"What, making me laugh was your one goal in life?"

"Well, I can't think of anything that could top it."

The two kept eating, and Homura could safely say that the redhead's mission had been a success. She was now completely insane, since that was the only logical explanation as to why she was having more fun with Kyouko Sakura than at home by herself. And still, it was a rather hollow happiness, as if some crucial element was missing from it. Homura traced the ribbon in her hair with her fingers, looking over at the person who had kidnapped its twin.

Two ribbons. Homura had always only wore the one.

-I-

"One for you, one for you, one for me..." Kyouko counted monotonously as she distributed the small cubes of concentrated malice amongst them. Mami and Homura both arranged their share around their removed Soul Gems, the stones shining brighter by the second.

"We should be doing this more often, considering how much the demons have increased in number lately." Mami said, sensible as always.

"I can do fine by myself, which means you two shouldn't have any problems either. I'm only here because of Kyouko." The blonde had met up with Kyouko and Homura at the restaurant, effectively turning the raven-haired girl sane again. As the thick fog had rolled in across Mitakihara, the three had set out hunting. Numbers helped, because even if a single demon was nothing against a Puella Magi, they always traveled in packs. Packs that had gotten larger and larger, just like Mami was saying.

This had proved to be a fortunate thing tonight, at least for Homura. In the heat of the battle, she had to Kyouko's chagrin been able to reclaim her stolen ribbon. The redhead had been too busy not getting killed to stop her, but she didn't mind terribly. She had accomplished her mission, and she told herself that Homura's current mood was just because of Mami's presence. Of course, she still wanted to know what was so important with that strip of fabric. It was something, and that something was forever lost on the tip of her tongue as she put down the last cube.

"And one for me. That's all, folks."

"Well, whatever the case, I'm thankful for your help." Mami said politely, even if her tone wasn't any warmer than Homura's. The blonde had realized that the mysterious girl didn't like her in the slightest, and there was nothing she could do about that. She put her amber-colored gem back in its flower-shaped place, scoping up the black cubes and throwing them over her shoulder, where they were taken care of by Mitakihara's diligent Incubator.

Mami proceeded to get up, while Homura and Kyouko remained on the ground. Their faces were lit by the shimmering of their Soul Gems, red and violet casting sharp shapes around them. One of countless nights spent protecting this city, all for their own selfish interests. It was interesting watching other Puella Magi fight, especially Mami and Kyouko with their misplaced enthusiasm. With their hope.

"Well, I s'pose I'll just head home with Mami." The redhead flicked the useless cubes away before returning her oval Soul Gem to its resting place on her chest. Her hair looked so much longer without the ponytail, and it gave the girl a softer look.

"Why?" With Mami gone, insanity crept back up Homura's spine. It curled up at the back of her head, gently urging its host to a subtle smile. Kyouko had screamed out her kill count like it had been a contest. Homura had counted too, quietly. She had won by three, but with the unfair advantage of having a bow and arrow.

"Huh?"

"You said you'd stay at my place until tomorrow, that was the deal." It had been fun, almost. Homura could understand why magical girls paired up when they could. Trust issues aside, it was far more engaging. Mami had beaten her by six.

"Yeah, yeah..." Kyouko shrugged her shoulders, a bit tired of her friend's emotionless jokes. It was only after five seconds of solid silence that her jaw dropped ever so slightly. "Wait, seriously?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. You promised me you'd stop bothering me, and I just don't want to be called out on a technicality." Homura explained, getting up on her feet as she discarded the used cubes. Kyouko joined her, giving her hair Homura's patented flick.

"Fair enough. Though you're way too suspicious of me."

"It's called caution, Kyouko, and it's perfectly justified in this case."

-I-

Kyouko's eye cracked open, greeted by a dimly, comfortably lit room. Her back ached a little, as sleeping sitting up wasn't very ergonomically healthy. At least Homura had let her sleep on the couch instead of the floor, so things could've been worse. The redhead brought her hand up to rub her sleepy eyes, and found something soft grazing her skin. She opened her other eye, peering down at her open palm.

In it was a simple, red ribbon. A faint scent of roses drifted from it, and Kyouko wondered why she hadn't smelled anything when wearing it before. It was then she realized that the scent didn't come from the one in her hand, but from Homura's hair, where its twin was. Kyouko also noticed that there was no way of moving without interrupting her friend's sleep, as said friend's head was resting heavily on her shoulder. Closing her hand along with her eyes, the redhead rested her own head on Homura's, and was almost immediately lulled to sleep by the flowery scent surrounding them.

_Well...it's too early to get up anyways. Today's a Sunday, after all._


End file.
